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48 Cards in this Set

Infections that are communicated through sexual contact. (Some, such as HIV/AIDS, can also be transmitted in other ways.)

Bacteria

Plural of bacterium, a class of one-celled microorganisms that have no chlorophyll and can give rise to many illnesses.

Gonorrhea

An ST"I" caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium and characterized by a discharge and burning urination. Left untreated, gonorrhea can give rise to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility.

Pharyngeal Gonorrhea

A gonorrheal infection of the pharynx (the cavity leading from the mouth and nasal passages to the larynx and esophagus) that is characterized by a sore throat.

Ophthalmia Neonatorum

A gonorrheal infection of the eyes of newborn children who contract the disease by passing through an infected birth canal.

Cervicitis

Inflammation of the cervix.

Asymptomatic

Without symptoms.

Epididymitis

Inflammation of the epididymis.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Inflammation of the pelvic region-possibly including the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, abdominal cavity, and ovaries-that can be caused by organisms such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Its symptoms are abdominal pain and tenderness, nausea, fever, and irregular menstrual cycles. The condition may lead to inferitility. Abbreviated PID.

Syphilis

An STI that is caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium and may progress through several stages of development-often from a chancre to a skin rash to damage to the cardiovascular or central nervous systems.

Chancre

A sore or ulcer.

Congenital Syphilis

A syphilis infection that is present at birth.

Neurosyphilis

A syphilic infection of the central nervous system, which can cause brain damage and death.

General Paresis

A progressive form of mental illenss caused by neurosyphilis and characterized by gross confusion.

VDRL

The test that is named after the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory of the U.S. Public Health Service and tests for the presence of antibodies to Treponema pallidum in the blood.

Antibodies

Specialized proteins produced by the white blood cells of the immune system in response to disease organisms and other toxic substances. Antibodies recognize and attack the invading organisms or substances.

Chancroid

An STI caused by the Haemophilus ducreyi bacterium. Also called soft chancre.

Shigellosis

An STI caused by the Shigella bacterium.

Granuloma Inguinale

A tropical STI caused by the Calymmatobacterium granulomatous bacterium.

Lymphogranuloma Venereum

A tropical STI caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium.

Vaginitis

Any type of vaginal infection or inflammation.

Bacterial Vaginosis

A form of vaginitis usually caused by the Gardnerella vaginalis bacterium.

Candidiasis

A form of vaginitis caused by a yeastlike fungus, Candida albicans.

Trichomoniasis

A form of vaginitis caused by the protozoan Trichomanas vaginalis.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

A sexually transmitted virus that destroys white blood cells in the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to life-threatening diseases.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

A condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and characterized by destruction of the immune system, which strips the body of its ability to fend off life-threatening diseases.

Immune System

A term for the body's complex of mechanisms for protecting itself from disease-causing agenst such as pathogens.

Pathogen

An agent, especially a microorganism, that can cause a disease.

Leukocytes

White blood cells that are essential to the body's defenses against infection.

Antigen

A protein, toxin, or other substance to which the body reacts by producing antibodies.

Inflammation

Redness and warmth that develop at the site of an injury, reflecting the dilation of blood vessels that permits the expanded flow of leukocytes to the region.

Opportunistic Diseases

Diseases that take hold only when the immune system is weakened and unable to fend them off. Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pnumonia (PCP) are examples of opportunistic diseases found in people with AIDS.

Seropositive

Having a pathogen or antibodies to that pathogen in the bloodstream.

Seronegative

Lacking a pathogen or antibodies to that pathogen in the bloodstream.

HAART (pronounced HEART)

The acronym for "highly active antiretroviral therapy," which refers to the combination, or "cocktail," of drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS.

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

The virus that causes oral herpes, which is characterized by cold sores or fever blisters on the lips or mouth. Abbreviated HSV-1.

Genital Herpes

An STI caused by the Herpes simplex virus type 2 and characterized by painful shallow sores and blisters on the genitals.

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

The virus that causes genital herpes. Abbreviated HSV-2

Ocular Herpes

A herpes infection of the eye, usually caused by touching an infected area of the body and then touching the eye.

Prodromal Symptoms

Warning symptoms that signal the onset or flare-up of a disease.

Hepatitis

An inflammation of the liver.

Jaundice

A yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

Genital Warts

An STI that is caused by the human papilloma virus and takes the form of warts that appear around the genitals and anus.

Molluscum Contagiosum

An STI that is caused by a pox virus that causes painless raised lesions to appear on the genitals, buttocks, thighs, or lower abdomen.

Ectoparasites

Parasites that live on the outside of the host's body-in contrast to endoparasites, which live within the body.